Box for military camp equipment

ABSTRACT

Box particularly for military camp equipment comprising a metal structure, in turn composed of a top grid, a bottom grid, opposite sides and opposite side panels, that can be transported, stocked and stacked to several levels, and that is resistant to both mechanical stress and to atmospheric agents.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] In its most general aspect, this invention concerns a boxparticularly for military camp equipment. In particular, this box can betransported and stocked in various environments such as warehouses, shipholds, marine containers, and stocking areas in general, even outdoor,and is composed of a structure that is made up of a bottom grid, a topgrid, opposite sides and opposite side panels.

[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0004] It is a well-known fact that military camp equipment needs to betransported and stocked in a simple and economical manner.

[0005] Standard sized wooden boxes are currently used to satisfy thisneed. These boxes possess good mechanical resistance, are easy toassemble, but are expensive to manufacture.

[0006] Cardboard boxes have been employed, light, easy to produce, andmuch cheaper to manufacture. However they have a limited work life, arenot so resistant to wear and tear, and are not environment-friendly; inshort, because of these problems, cardboard boxes can generally only beused once because the basic material of which they are made deterioratesrapidly. Moreover they are marked by a poor water resistance, highmaintenance costs, need to use straps, belts and the like to ensurestaunchness, high disposal costs, high risk of theft of the contents,fast deterioration of the box.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] The problem at the basis of the present invention is that ofcreating a box particularly for military camp equipment that can solvethe drawbacks of the prior art described above.

[0008] These problems are overcome, according to the present invention,by a box particularly for military camp equipment of the specified type,which is characterized in that said structure is metallic.

[0009] Further characteristics and advantages of the box according tothe invention will be better shown from the detailed description of anexample of realization, made hereinafter with reference to the encloseddrawings, with illustrative and non limiting purpose.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010]FIG. 1 shows schematically a perspective view of a boxparticularly for military camp equipment according to the presentinvention;

[0011]FIG. 2 shows schematically a perspective view and in separatedparts of the box in FIG. 1;

[0012]FIGS. 3a and 3 b show schematically a perspective enlarged view ofthe fixing system for the box sides, respectively in cross section andin perspective;

[0013]FIG. 4 shows schematically a perspective view of the separatedparts and a detail of the box;

[0014]FIG. 5 shows schematically a perspective view of the box stackingwith another identical box;

[0015]FIG. 5a shows a perspective view of a detail of the stackingsystem shown in FIG. 5;

[0016]FIG. 5b shows schematically a detail of the stacking system shownin FIG. 5;

[0017]FIGS. 6a and 6 b and 6 c show schematically the characteristics ofthe stacking system of two boxes according to the invention;

[0018]FIGS. 7a, 7 b and 7 c show a perspective view of an enlargeddetail of the box shown in FIG. 1;

[0019]FIGS. 8a, 8 b, and 8 c show a view of the successive steps ofassembly of the box shown in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] With reference to FIG. 1, with 1 a box particularly for militarycamp equipment according to the present invention and comprising a metalstructure 2 is generally indicated.

[0021] Said metal structure 2, generally in parallelepiped form, iscomposed in turn (FIG. 2) of a top grid 3, a bottom grid 4, oppositesides 5, and opposite side panels 6.

[0022] Said top grid 3, and bottom grid 4, are rectangular metal frames,as similarly are rectangular metal frames said opposite sides 5, andsaid opposite side panels 6.

[0023] Said metal frames are generally built from closed sectionscommercially available; advantageously said sections are square.

[0024] In particular, the opposite sides 5, and the opposite side panels6, are comprise at least two uprights 8 each and a plurality ofcrossbars 9 fixed to the uprights 8 by weldings or other known methods.

[0025] The top grid 3 and bottom grid 4 are made of opposite long sides10, opposite short sides 11 and a plurality of crossbars 9, made of theabove mentioned sections, said crossbars being fixed to said long sides10 by welding or other known methods.

[0026] According to a preferred but non-limiting embodiment, saidcrossbars 9, are arranged in perpendicular fashion to said uprights 8,in the case of the opposite sides 5, and the opposite side panels 6, andare arranged in perpendicular manner to said long sides 10, in the caseof the top grid 3 and bottom grid 4.

[0027] To said frames are associated buffer panels 7, glued to saidframes so to be placed in the interior part of structure 2 of box 1;said buffer panels 7, are composed of sheets made of a material withadequate mechanical resistance to contain and protect the camp equipmentpacked in box 1, manufactured, for example, from different kinds ofelastomer materials. Said panels 7 can be easily replaced individuallyin the case of breakage, without having to intervene on the structure 2,or the remaining panels 7.

[0028] With reference to FIGS. 2, 3a and 3 b, said opposite sides 5 areconnected to said top grid 3 and said bottom grid 4 using male-femaleengagement means 12 and fixing means 14.

[0029] Said engagement means 12 are composed of male connecting andcentering elements 12 a, and female elements 12 b. Said male elementsare composed of cylindrical pins 13 a arranged on the sides 5, inparticular on the most external crossbars 9, at the uprights 8, and onthe opposite side of these uprights 8 and are inserted into said femaleengagement means 12 b, which are composed of housings 13 b of the bottomgrid 4, and the top grid 3, made out in correspondence of said pins 12 bon sides 5.

[0030] Said housings 13 b are provided with circular holes withpredetermined size adapted to allow the passage of the cylindrical pins12 b; the depth of said housings 13 b is preferably the same as thelength of the pins 12 b.

[0031] The fixing means 14 described above include a screw 14 a, a hole14 b in the base of the housings 13 b, with a diameter smaller than thediameter of the pins 12 b, co-axial with said pin and located on theopposite side compared to the insertion hole for the pin 12 b, athreaded cavity 14 c drilled inside each pin 12 b and coaxial with saidpin 12 b, sized so that each pin 12 b can be fixed in its correspondinghousing 13 b using a screw 14 a passing through said hole 14 b andscrewing into said threaded cavity inside each pin 12 b.

[0032] According a preferred embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 4, thetwo opposite side panels 6, are provided with side fins 15, said fins 15being integral part of the uprights 8 of said side panels 6. Inparticular, said fins are generally rectangular in shape, elongated, andcompletely surround the upright 8 of which they are part.

[0033] Moreover, said fins, are located on the part of side panels 6towards the exterior of box 1, protruding in the direction of thecorresponding uprights 8 of sides 5, and resting on said correspondinguprights 8 of sides 5.

[0034] Advantageously the top grids 3 and bottom grids 4 are providedwith container rims 16 and 17 respectively, located on and forming partof the sections that constitute the respective short sides. Saidcontainer rims 16 and 17, are positioned on the parts of grids 3 and 4that face the exterior of the box 1, on the part of the respective sidepanels 6. In particular, the container rims 16 of the top grid 3protrude in the direction of the bottom grid 4, and vice-versa, thecontainer rims 17 of the bottom grid 4 protrude in the direction of theupper grid 3.

[0035] Said container rims 16 and 17 permit simple and rapid insertionof the opposite sides against the grids 3 and 4 and sides 5, completingthe structure 2 of box 1, and, together with the side fins 15, theyallow stable and safe blocking of side panels 6 against grids 3 and 4,and against sides 5.

[0036]FIGS. 8a, 8 b ands 8 c show the sequence followed for assemblingthe side panels 6 and the subsequent obtaining of the structurallycomplete box 1.

[0037] Firstly (FIG. 8a) the side panel 6 is made to knock against thesides 5 in proximity of the top grid 3, and the upper part of said sidepanel 6 is inserted into the cavity formed between the top grid 3 andthe corresponding upper container rim 16 until it lays on said top grid3.

[0038] At this point the side panel 6 is rotated (FIG. 8b) around itssupport point on the top grid 3, that acts as hinge axis, so that thelower part of the side panel 6 is moved nearer to the bottom grid 4until contact is made between the side panel 6 and the sides 5, usingthe handles.

[0039] When the side panel 6 is completely supported by sides 5, it isslid downwards (FIG. 8c) until it touches the bottom grid 4 and ishoused between the sides 6 and the lower container rim 17 associatedwith said bottom grid 4.

[0040] In order to prevent accidental opening of the box sides, closingsystems 26 have been provided (FIG. 1), for example security seals madeof a numbered plastic band or made of the traditional lead wire, that ishas to be broken to open the box 1.

[0041] According to one characteristic of the present invention, it ispossible to stack several boxes 1 (FIGS. 5a e 5 b). In particular,according to a preferred embodiment, boxes 1 can be stacked three levelshigh.

[0042] This is advantageously obtained thanks to the presence, incorrespondence of the four edges of the top grid of said box 1, of finemetal plates 18 fixed to the frame at a predetermined depth at eachcorner formed by the intersection between the long sides 10 and to theshort sides 11 of the top grid 3 of said box 1.

[0043] Said metal plates 18 are preferably triangular in shape, moreprecisely a right-angled isosceles triangle, with the cathetus attachedto the long side 10 and to the short side 11 that intersect at thecorresponding angle, and with the unattached hypotenuse.

[0044] Moreover, each bottom grid 4 of said box 1 is provided withsupport feet 19.

[0045] Four feet 19 of the box are positioned on the bottom grid 4 nearthe intersection between the long sides 10 and the short sides 11, atpredetermined distances from said sides 10 and 11 so that they can reston the metal plates 18 of a box underneath, and against said long side10 and said short side 11 that intersect near said metal plate 18,blocking each other automatically once stacked.

[0046] Furthermore, the box 1 is preferably provided with two furthersupport feet 28, located on a crossbar 26 of the bottom grid 4, parallelto said short sides 11 and linked in central position as regards thelong sides 10. Said feet 28, when the box 1 is stacked onto a secondbox, rest on a crossbar 27 of the top grid of said second box, linked incentral position as regards the long sides 10.

[0047] The bottom grids 4 of the boxes 1 further comprisesadvantageously a plurality of sections 20 (FIG. 6b) of predeterminedsize associated, preferably welded, to the underside of said bottomgrids 4 on the long sides 10.

[0048] According to the invention, said sections 20 are arranged two foreach long side 10, in parallel and in contact for their total lengthwith said long sides 10, spaced and extending from the ends of said longsides 10 towards the center of said long sides 10, in order to create apassage 24 between the respective internal ends of said sections 20, forthe lift truck forks 21 (FIG. 6a) from both long sides 10.

[0049] In addition, a passage 25 for said lift truck forks 21 is formedunder the respective short sides 11, delimited only by the support feet19 (FIG. 6c).

[0050] Preferably, the passages are all the same width as to allow theuse of a single lift truck with a single fork.

[0051] As shown in FIG. 6a, this results in a box 1 that can be raisedwith forks on all four sides, with an improved easiness in handling andstacking.

[0052] Advantageously the side panels 6 are provided with handles 22,inserted into screw eyes 23, attached to the bottom surface 24 of atleast one crossbar 9 of said side panels 6.

[0053] Said handles 22 are preferably forged from a metal rod ofpredetermined size, bent in four points in order to provide said handles22 with the characteristic “omega” shape, the feet of the “omega”corresponding to the pins of the handle 22, inserted into the respectivescrew eyes 23.

[0054] These handles are movable and can be moved up to a 90° angle(FIG. 7b) between a protruding position for handling purposes, and therest position that is recessed in the box side so that it is flush withthe surface.

[0055] According to a preferred embodiment, there are two handles 22 oneach side panel 6, both on the same crossbar 9, at a predetermineddistance from each other, and at a predetermined distance from theuprights 8 on which said crossbar 9 is welded.

[0056] Thanks to the presence of said handles 22, it is possible tohandle the side panels 6 easily during assembly operations.

[0057] According to a preferred embodiment, the metal material used forthe modular structure 2 of box 1 is steel. In particular, galvanisedsteel is the preferable material.

[0058] According to a preferred form of embodiment, the long sides 10 ofgrids 3 and 4 have a length between 210 and 230 centimeters, and theshort sides 11 of the grids 3 and 4 have a length between 110 and 130centimeters, while the uprights 8 of sides 5 and side panels 6 have alength between 200 and 250 centimeters.

[0059] In this manner, the box results modular, which is that whenstored or stacked with other identical boxes, it occupies the exactinternal space of larger structures such as a container.

[0060] Boxes particularly for military camp equipment according to thepresent invention have excellent structural resistance permitting thestacking of up to three boxes on top of each other, thus allowing anincreased stocking density, obtaining a considerable saving in storagesurface.

[0061] The use of sections for assembling of the parts of the structureof the boxes permits an easy, rapid and economical construction of theboxes thereof.

[0062] Moreover, on one hand the box structure according to the presentinvention is solid and sturdy, thanks to the use of steel, and on theother hand it is corrosion resistant thanks to the galvanised finish.

[0063] Thanks to the buffer panels in elastomer material, the box 1 issplashing-tight and is practically waterproof; furthermore, said panelsensure a good barrier against splashing, and provide hygienic insulationfor the contents against insects and parasites such as woodworm, moths,caterpillars and mould inside the box, without having to resort tochemical and thermal treatments. This means the boxes can be used forall purposes even in damp tropical climates and can also be stocked outof doors.

[0064] Moreover, the use of elastomer guarantees good heat resistancequalities, and this aspect places the boxes according to the inventionin an avant-guard position from the point of view of safety andaccidents.

[0065] Therefore, for the reasons listed previously, boxes for militarycamp equipment according to the invention offer the advantages of beinghighly resistant and long-lasting, they can be used repeatedly, theyhave low maintenance costs, and are easy to assemble, all of whichovercome many of the problems associated with the prior art.

[0066] In addition, another important aspect of the present invention isthe easy maintenance for rapid and simple replacement of any elementsthat may be damaged, such as a side panel, with a new element kept instock as a spare part. Said box can furthermore be completelydismantled, allowing its stock and transport with a minimal encumbrance.

[0067] Moreover, because of the predetermined size described above, andto the forcibility on four sides, it is possible to easily load up toeleven boxes inside a transport container.

[0068] Last but not least advantage of a box particularly for campequipment according to the invention, is the very strong structure thatprevents infraction by non-authorized persons.

[0069] Still further, a box according to the invention may be suitablyequipped with an identification system, thanks to, for example, a metalplate wearing a barcode and respective number or by the application ofan electronic “microchip” survey device.

[0070] The finding thus conceived is susceptible to further variants andmodifications to satisfy all types of specific or different needs, allof which fall within the scope of protection of the finding itself, asdefined by the following claims.

1. A box particularly for military camp equipment comprising astructure, in turn comprising a top grid, a bottom grid, opposite sidesand opposite side panels, characterized in that said structure is madeof metal.
 2. The box particularly for military camp equipment accordingto claim 1, characterized in that said top grid and said bottom grid arerectangular metal frames.
 3. The box particularly for military campequipment according to claim 1, characterized in that said oppositesides are rectangular metal frames.
 4. The box particularly for militarycamp equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that said oppositeside panels are rectangular metal frames.
 5. The box particularly formilitary camp equipment according to previous claims characterized inthat said metal frames are composed of at least one metal section. 6.The box particularly for military camp equipment according to claim 5,characterized in that the material constituting said metal frames issteel.
 7. The box particularly for military camp equipment according toclaim 6, characterized in that the steel constituting said metal framesis galvanised.
 8. The box particularly for military camp equipmentaccording to claim 7, characterized in that said top grid and bottomgrid said sides and said side panels are respectively associated with atleast one buffer panel.
 9. The box particularly for military campequipment according to claim 8, characterized in that said buffer panelis a sheet of material that possesses an adequate mechanical resistancefor containing and protecting the camp equipment contained in box
 1. 10.The box particularly for military camp equipment according to claim 9,characterized in that said buffer panel is a sheet of elastomermaterial.
 11. The box particularly for military camp equipment accordingto claim 8, characterized in that said buffer panel is glued to therespective frame with which it is associated.
 12. The box particularlyfor military camp equipment according to claim 11, characterized in thatsaid buffer panel is positioned inside the structure of the box.
 13. Thebox particularly for military camp equipment according to claim 7,characterized in that it includes engagement means and fixing meansbetween said opposite sides, and said top grid and bottom grid.
 14. Thebox particularly for military camp equipment according to claim 13,characterized in that said engagement means comprises cylindrical pinsand housings.
 15. The box particularly for military camp equipmentaccording to claim 14, characterized in that it comprises screws forfixing said top grids and bottom grids to said opposite sides.
 16. Thebox particularly for military camp equipment according to claim 7,characterized in that said side panels are provided with side fins. 17.The box particularly for military camp equipment according to claim 16,characterized in that said side fins have an elongated rectangular shapeand are part of the uprights of said side panels.
 18. The boxparticularly for military camp equipment according to claim 7,characterized in that said top grid is provided with container rims. 19.The box particularly for military camp equipment according to claim 7,characterized in that said bottom grid is provided with container rims.20. The box particularly for military camp equipment according to claim7, characterized in that said bottom grid is provided with support feet.21. The box particularly for military camp equipment according to claim20, characterized in that a fine metal plate is fixed at each cornerformed by the intersection of a long side and a short side of the topgrid, attached to said sides and to form a housing to insert the supportfoot of the bottom of a stacked box.
 22. The box particularly formilitary camp equipment according to claim 21, characterized in thatsaid fine metal plate has a right-angled isosceles triangle shape. 23.The box particularly for military camp equipment according to claim 7,characterized in that said bottom grid comprises a plurality of sectionsattached to the underside of the grid to form passages for insertinglift truck forks.
 24. The box particularly for military camp equipmentaccording to claim 7, characterized in that said side panels areprovided with handles.
 25. The box particularly for military campequipment according to claim 7, characterized in that said top grid andbottom grid comprise two long sides and two short sides, said sidescomprising at least two uprights and said side panels comprising atleast two uprights.
 26. The box particularly for military camp equipmentaccording to claim 25, characterized in that said long sides have alength between 210 and 230 centimeters, and said short sides have alength between 110 and 130 centimeters, said uprights have a lengthbetween 200 and 250 centimeters.
 27. The box particularly for militarycamp equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that it furthercomprises an identification system such as a metal plate wearing abarcode and respective number and/or an electronic “microchip” surveydevice.